Adriamycin is presently regarded as one of the most effective anticancer drugs currently in use. Adriamycin displays significant activity against a broad range of human cancers including leukemia, sarcoma, lymphoma, breast cancer and lung cancer. The objective of the present project is the development of a practical total synthesis of adriamycin which will be amenable to large scale production of the material. The synthetic sequences are exceptionally short and readily adaptable to the preparation of analogs of adriamycin for pharmacological evaluation of anticancer activity.